# ISO New England MCP

> ISO New England MCP gives you real-time access to critical power grid data from the ISO-NE Web Services API. Get 5-minute Locational Marginal Prices (LMP), current system load in megawatts (MW), generation fuel mix, and seven-day load forecasts. It's essential for energy analysis, market planning, and stress testing utility assets.

## Overview
- **Category:** the-unthinkable
- **Price:** Free
- **Tags:** energy-market, grid-monitoring, market-forecasting, utility-data

## Description

This MCP lets your agent monitor the entire New England power grid, pulling operational data straight from ISO New England. You can retrieve key metrics like real-time system load levels and the current mix of generation fuels—natural gas, nuclear, renewables—all in one place. Need to understand market costs? The tool provides 5-minute Locational Marginal Prices (LMP) and day-ahead pricing for planning purposes. It also tracks reserve requirements and clearing prices, which is vital when auditing grid resilience capacity. If you're building complex energy models, connecting this data feed through the Vinkius catalog gives your AI client a single source of truth for market forecasting and physical constraint analysis.

## Tools

### get_actual_interchange
Retrieves the actual data on how much electricity is being imported or exported between different regional grids.

### get_day_ahead_lmp
Provides anticipated Locational Marginal Prices for a specific day, crucial for financial planning and cost modeling.

### get_fuel_mix
Reports the real-time mix of energy sources powering the grid, detailing inputs like gas, nuclear, and renewables.

### get_hourly_lmp
Gets historical or projected Locational Marginal Prices calculated at an hourly interval for price trend analysis.

### get_hourly_load
Provides data detailing the total system load demand on an hour-by-hour basis, useful for consumption pattern studies.

### get_lmp
Retrieves 5-minute Locational Marginal Prices (LMP), which is the most granular view of energy cost volatility in USD/MWh.

### get_regulation
Returns regulatory requirements and clearing prices, necessary for compliance checks on grid stability services.

### get_reserve
Outputs current reserve requirements and associated clearing prices to audit the system's resilience capacity.

### get_seven_day_forecast
Delivers a seven-day forecast of total energy load, helping anticipate grid stress points for procurement planning.

### get_system_load
Reports the immediate system load in megawatts (MW), giving you the current power consumption level.

## Prompt Examples

**Prompt:** 
```
What is the current system load in ISO New England?
```

**Response:** 
```
I'll fetch the real-time system load data for you.
```

**Prompt:** 
```
Show me the current fuel mix for electricity generation.
```

**Response:** 
```
I'll retrieve the real-time generation fuel mix from ISO-NE.
```

**Prompt:** 
```
Get the latest locational marginal prices (LMP).
```

**Response:** 
```
I'll look up the current 5-minute LMP data for the New England grid.
```

## Capabilities

### Determine Current Grid Status
Reads real-time system load (MW) and generation fuel mix to give an immediate snapshot of the grid's operational state.

### Analyze Energy Cost Volatility
Retrieves 5-minute Locational Marginal Prices, allowing for granular tracking of power costs at specific points in the network.

### Model Future Grid Stress
Generates seven-day load forecasts and day-ahead prices to help plan energy procurement well before peak demand periods hit.

### Audit Market Constraints
Pulls reserve requirements, clearing prices, and regulation data needed for compliance checks and stability service analysis.

### Track Power Flow Balance
Gets actual interchange data to confirm net power imports or exports between regional grids like NYISO or Quebec.

## Use Cases

### Investigating a Price Spike
An analyst notices unusual cost spikes. They ask their agent to compare the current 5-minute price using `get_lmp` against the predicted day-ahead price from `get_day_ahead_lmp` to determine if it's an expected market event or an unforeseen local constraint.

### Prepping for Peak Demand
A utility planner needs a resource allocation strategy. They first call `get_seven_day_forecast` and then use `get_system_load` to check current readings, ensuring their emergency procurement plan covers the predicted peak stress.

### Compliance Reporting
A compliance officer needs to prove grid stability. They combine data from `get_reserve` (required capacity) with `get_regulation` (clearing prices) and run it against real-time load via `get_system_load`.

### Analyzing Regional Interconnect Issues
A team needs to understand why a specific region is overdrawing power. They use `get_actual_interchange` to get the verified net import/export data, pinpointing exactly where the imbalance occurred.

## Benefits

- You can track energy cost volatility minute by minute. By using `get_lmp`, you get 5-minute Locational Marginal Prices, which is better than relying on simple daily averages for accurate financial modeling.
- Planning gets precise. Instead of guessing future load, use `get_seven_day_forecast` to anticipate exactly when the grid will be under stress and plan energy procurement accordingly.
- Understand your environmental footprint by calling `get_fuel_mix`. This tool breaks down real-time generation sources (gas, nuclear, renewables), which is key for compliance reporting.
- Audit resilience capacity easily. To check if the system can handle a sudden spike, use `get_reserve` to see current reserve requirements and clearing prices against measured load data from `get_system_load`.
- Confirm power flow balance instantly. If you suspect an unaccounted-for energy transfer between regions, run `get_actual_interchange` for the verified net import/export figures.

## How It Works

The bottom line is that your agent translates complex utility API calls into actionable, readable metrics for your workflow.

1. You prompt your AI client with a specific request, such as 'What is the day-ahead LMP for next Tuesday?'
2. The agent identifies the required data point and invokes the appropriate tool within this MCP.
3. It receives structured market data (e.g., prices in USD/MWh) which it then presents to you in plain language.

## Frequently Asked Questions

**How do I check net power imports with get_actual_interchange?**
You prompt for 'actual interchange data.' The tool retrieves real-time metrics, telling you exactly how much electricity is being imported or exported between grids like NYISO and Hydro-Quebec.

**What time scale can I use with get_lmp?**
`get_lmp` provides 5-minute data points. This high granularity is essential for modeling rapid energy cost changes, far surpassing typical hourly reporting.

**Does this MCP help me forecast load using get_seven_day_forecast?**
Yes, `get_seven_day_forecast` predicts the overall system load for the next week. This is critical for long-term resource planning and anticipating when peak stress will occur.

**How do I see what sources are powering the grid? Use get_fuel_mix.**
`get_fuel_mix` reports real-time data on generation. You can analyze how much electricity comes from natural gas versus renewables, which is vital for environmental impact reporting.

**Can I compare today's cost to the planned day-ahead price? Use get_day_ahead_lmp.**
Yes. `get_day_ahead_lmp` pulls anticipated pricing, letting you directly compare expected costs against current or historical market rates for planning purposes.

**What specific grid stability data do I get when using `get_regulation`?**
This tool retrieves mandatory regulation requirements and clearing prices. It's essential for analyzing how much capacity is needed to maintain grid stability services across the region.

**When should I use `get_hourly_lmp` instead of checking current rates with `get_lmp`?**
You should use it when you need historical or long-term price analysis. It provides Locational Marginal Prices (LMP) at an hourly scale, perfect for spotting patterns over time.

**What are the units and purpose of the data returned by `get_system_load`?**
The load is measured in megawatts (MW). This metric gives you a direct reading of the current power consumption, helping you monitor real-time grid stress levels.

**How do I get ISO New England API credentials?**
You need to register for an ISO Express account at https://www.iso-ne.com/isoexpress/login. Use your account username and password for API authentication.

**What data is available in real-time?**
The API provides real-time updates for system load, fuel mix, and 5-minute locational marginal prices (LMP).

**Does it support historical data?**
This MCP currently focuses on retrieving the most recent current and daily data available through the Web Services API.